A 48-year-old private hire taxi driver from Tobago has been sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison for raping a teenage passenger almost a decade ago.
Ricardo Reynolds, of Mason Hall, was found guilty of the crime by a nine-member jury before High Court Judge Kathy Ann Waterman-Latchoo almost two weeks ago and was sentenced on Wednesday.
Justice Waterman-Latchoo set the sentence after considering a mitigation plea from Reynolds’ lawyers and a response from prosecutors Dylan Martin and Niara Boodan.
The judge deducted the 15 days Reynolds spent in prison after his bail was revoked upon his conviction.
She ordered that he register as a sex offender within seven days of his eventual release and report to the police every three months for eight years.
She also ordered that his name, photograph and information on his conviction be posted on the public sex offender website.
According to the evidence in the trial, the attack took place on November 19, 2012.
The 17-year-old victim had just attended a thanksgiving function at her aunt’s home when she boarded his car at a taxi stand in Scarborough.
Her boyfriend paid the man $40 to drop her home in Carnbee.
While en route, the man asked the victim her name and asked her to have sex with him. She refused.
The driver then diverted to a secluded beach in Lambeau and dragged the teen out of the car and raped her.
He then drove off and left her at the location.
The victim made her way home and reported the incident to the police later that night.
